document_title: Minnesota Twins

question_text: what does the c in the minnesota twins logo stand for

root

text: Minnesota Twins

text: Team history[edit]

text: Washington Nationals/Senators: 1901–1960[edit]

text: The Washington Senators spent the first decade of their existence finishing near the bottom of the American League standings. Their fortunes began to improve with the arrival of 19-year-old pitcher, Walter Johnson, in 1907. Johnson blossomed in 1911 with 25 victories, although the Senators still finished the season in seventh place.[21] In 1912, the Senators improved dramatically, as their pitching staff led the league in team earned run average and in strikeouts. Johnson won 33 games while teammate Bob Groom added another 24 wins to help the Senators finish the season in second place.[22] The Senators continued to perform respectably in 1913 with Johnson posting a career-high 35 victories, as the team once again finished in second place.[23] The Senators then fell into another period of decline for the next decade. After a string of mediocre seasons, a rejuvenated Johnson rebounded in 1924 to win 23 games with the help of his catcher, Muddy Ruel, as the Senators won the American League pennant for the first time in the history of the franchise.[24]

tag: p

text: The Senators faced John McGraw's heavily favored New York Giants in the 1924 World Series.[25] The two teams traded wins back and forth until the series reached the seventh and deciding game. The Senators trailed the Giants 3 to 1 in the eighth inning of Game 7, when Bucky Harris hit a routine ground ball to third which hit a pebble and took a bad hop over Giants third baseman Freddie Lindstrom. Two runners scored on the play, tying the score at three.[26] An aging Walter Johnson then came in to pitch the ninth inning, and held the Giants scoreless into extra innings. In the bottom of the twelfth inning with Ruel at bat, he hit a high, foul ball directly over home plate.[27] The Giants' catcher, Hank Gowdy, dropped his protective mask to field the ball but, failing to toss the mask aside, stumbled over it and dropped the ball, thus giving Ruel another chance to bat.[27] On the next pitch, Ruel hit a double and proceeded to score the winning run when Earl McNeely hit a ground ball that took another bad hop over Lindstrom's head.[26][27] This would mark the only World Series triumph for the franchise during their 60-year tenure in Washington.

text: The following season they repeated as American League champions but ultimately lost the 1925 World Series to the Pittsburgh Pirates. After Walter Johnson's retirement in 1927, he was hired as manager of the Senators. After enduring a few losing seasons, the team returned to contention in 1930. In 1933, Senators owner Clark Griffith returned to the formula that worked for him nine years prior: 26-year-old shortstop Joe Cronin became player-manager. The Senators posted a 99–53 record and cruised to the pennant seven games ahead of the New York Yankees, but in the 1933 World Series the Giants exacted their revenge winning in five games. Following the loss, the Senators sank all the way to seventh place in 1934 and attendance began to fall. Despite the return of Harris as manager from 1935–42 and again from 1950–54, Washington was mostly a losing ball club for the next 25 years contending for the pennant only during World War II. Washington came to be known as "first in war, first in peace, and last in the American League",[28] with their hard luck being crucial to the plot of the musical and film Damn Yankees. Cecil Travis, Buddy Myer (1935 A.L. batting champion), Roy Sievers, Mickey Vernon (batting champion in 1946 and 1953), and Eddie Yost were notable Senators players whose careers were spent in obscurity due to the team's lack of success.[29][30] In 1954, the Senators signed future Hall of Fame member Harmon Killebrew. By 1959 he was the Senators’ regular third baseman and led the league with 42 home runs earning him a starting spot on the American League All-Star team.

text: After Griffith's death in 1955, his nephew and adopted son Calvin took over the team presidency. Calvin sold Griffith Stadium to the city of Washington and leased it back leading to speculation that the team was planning to move as the Boston Braves, St. Louis Browns and Philadelphia Athletics had all done in the early 1950s. By 1957, after an early flirtation with San Francisco (where the New York Giants would eventually move after that season ended), Griffith began courting Minneapolis–St. Paul, a prolonged process that resulted in his rejecting the Twin Cities' first offer[31] before agreeing to relocate. The American League opposed the move at first, but in 1960 a deal was reached: The Senators would move and would be replaced with an expansion Senators team for 1961. Thus, the old Washington Senators became the Minnesota Twins.

text: Team nickname[edit]

text: The Washington franchise was known as both "Senators" and "Nationals" at various times, and sometimes at the same time.  In 1905, the team changed its official name to the "Washington Nationals."[32] The name "Nationals" appeared on uniforms for only two seasons, and was then replaced with the "W" logo for the next 52 years. The media often shortened the nickname to "Nats." Many fans and newspapers (especially out-of-town papers) persisted in using the "Senators" nickname, because of potential confusion caused by an American League team using the "Nationals" name. Over time, "Nationals" faded as a nickname, and "Senators" became dominant. Baseball guides listed the club's nickname as "Nationals or Senators", acknowledging the dual-nickname situation.

text: The team name was officially changed to Washington Senators around the time of Clark Griffith's death. It was not until 1959 that the word "Senators" first appeared on team shirts. "Nats" continued to be used by space-saving headline writers, even for the 1961 expansion team, which was never officially known as "Nationals."

text: The current "Nationals" and "Nats" names were revived in 2005, when the Montreal Expos relocated to Washington to become the Nationals.

text: Minnesota Twins: 1961 to present[edit]

text: The name "Twins" was derived from the popular name of the region, the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul). The NBA's Minneapolis Lakers had relocated to Los Angeles in 1960 due to poor attendance which was believed to have been caused in part by the reluctance of fans in St. Paul to support the team.[33] Griffith was determined not to alienate fans in either city by naming the team after one city or the other, so his desire was to name the team the "Twin Cities Twins",[33] however MLB objected. Griffith therefore named the team the Minnesota Twins. However, the team was allowed to keep its original "TC" (for Twin Cities) insignia for its caps. The team's logo shows two men, one in a Minneapolis Millers uniform and one in a St. Paul Saints uniform, shaking hands across the Mississippi River within an outline of the state of Minnesota. The "TC" remained on the Twins' caps until 1987, when they adopted new uniforms. By this time, the team felt it was established enough to put an "M" on its cap without having St. Paul fans think it stood for Minneapolis. The "TC" logo was moved to a sleeve on the jerseys, and occasionally appeared as an alternate cap design.[34] Both the "TC" and "Minnie & Paul" logos remain the team's primary insignia. As of 2010, the "TC" logo has been reinstated on the cap as their logo.[35]

text: The Twins were eagerly greeted in Minnesota when they arrived in 1961. They brought a nucleus of talented players: Harmon Killebrew, Bob Allison, Camilo Pascual, Zoilo Versalles, Jim Kaat, Earl Battey, and Lenny Green. Tony Oliva, who would go on to win American League batting championships in 1964, 1965 and 1971, made his major league debut in 1962.  That year, the Twins won 91 games, the most by the franchise since 1933. Behind Mudcat Grant's 21 victories, Versalles' A.L. MVP season and Oliva's batting title, the Twins won 102 games and the American League Pennant in 1965, but they were defeated in the World Series by the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games (behind the Series MVP, Sandy Koufax, who compiled a 2–1 record, including winning the seventh game).[36]

text: Heading into the final weekend of the 1967 season, when Rod Carew was named the A.L. Rookie of the Year, the Twins, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, and Detroit Tigers all had a shot at clinching the American League championship. The Twins and the Red Sox started the weekend tied for 1st place and played against each other in Boston for the final three games of the season. The Red Sox won two out of the three games, seizing their first pennant since 1946 with a 92–70 record. The Twins and Tigers both finished one game back, with 91–71 records, while the White Sox finished three games back, at 89–73. In 1969, the new manager of the Twins, Billy Martin, pushed aggressive base running all-around, and Carew set the all-time Major League record by stealing home seven times in addition to winning the first of seven A.L. batting championships.[37] With Killebrew slugging 49 homers and winning the AL MVP Award, these 1969 Twins won the very first American League Western Division Championship, but they lost three straight games to the Baltimore Orioles, winners of 109 games, in the first American League Championship Series. The Orioles would go on to be upset by the New York Mets in the World Series. Martin was fired after the season, in part due to an August 1969 fight in Detroit with 20-game winner Dave Boswell and outfielder Bob Allison, in an alley outside the Lindell A.C. bar. Bill Rigney led the Twins to a repeat division title in 1970, behind the star pitching of Jim Perry (24-12), the A.L. Cy Young Award winner, while the Orioles again won the Eastern Division Championship behind the star pitching of Jim Palmer. Once again, the Orioles won the A.L. Championship Series in a three-game sweep,[38] and this time they would win the World Series.

text: After winning the division again in 1970, the team entered an eight-year dry spell, finishing around the .500 mark. Killebrew departed after 1974. Owner Calvin Griffith faced financial difficulty with the start of free agency, costing the Twins the services of Lyman Bostock and Larry Hisle, who left as free agents after the 1977 season, and Carew, who was traded after the 1978 season.[39] In 1975, Carew won his fourth consecutive AL batting title,[40] having already joined Ty Cobb as the only players to lead the major leagues in batting average for three consecutive seasons. In 1977, Carew batted .388, which was the highest in baseball since Boston's Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941; he won the 1977 AL MVP Award. He won another batting title in 1978, hitting .333.[40]

text: In 1982, the Twins moved into the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, which they shared with the Minnesota Vikings. After a 16-54 start, the Twins were on the verge on becoming the worst team in MLB history. They turned the season around somewhat, but still lost 102 games which is the second-worst record in Twins history (beaten only by the 2016 team, who lost 103 games), despite the .301 average, 23 homers and 92 RBI from rookie Kent Hrbek.[41] In 1984, Griffith sold the Twins to multi-billionaire banker/financier Carl Pohlad. The Metrodome hosted the 1985 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. After several losing seasons, the 1987 team, led by Hrbek, Gary Gaetti, Frank Viola (A.L. Cy Young winner in 1988), Bert Blyleven, Jeff Reardon, Tom Brunansky, Dan Gladden, and rising star Kirby Puckett, returned to the World Series after defeating the favored Detroit Tigers in the ALCS, 4 games to 1. Tom Kelly managed the Twins to World Series victories over the St. Louis Cardinals in 1987[42][43] and the Atlanta Braves in 1991.[44] The 1988 Twins were the first team in American League history to draw more than 3 million fans.[45] On July 17, 1990, the Twins became the only team in major league history to pull off two triple plays in the same game.  Twins' pitcher and Minnesota native Jack Morris was the star of the series in 1991, going 2–0 in his three starts with a 1.17 ERA.[46] 1991 also marked the first time that any team that finished in last place in their division would advance to the World Series the following season; both the Twins and the Braves did this in 1991.[47]  Contributors to the 1991 Twins' improvement from 74 wins to 95 included Chuck Knoblauch, the A.L. Rookie of the Year; Scott Erickson, 20-game winner; new closer Rick Aguilera and new designated hitter Chili Davis.

text: The World Series in 1991 is regarded by many as one of the classics of all time. In this Series, four games were won during the teams' final at-bat, and three of these were in extra innings. The Atlanta Braves won all three of their games in Atlanta, and the Twins won all four of their games in Minnesota. The sixth game was a legendary one for Puckett, who tripled in a run, made a sensational leaping catch against the wall, and finally in the 11th inning hit the game-winning home run. The seventh game was tied 0–0 after the regulation nine innings, and marked only the second time that the seventh game of the World Series had ever gone into extra innings. The Twins won on a walk-off RBI single by Gene Larkin in the bottom of the 10th inning, after Morris had pitched ten shutout innings against the Braves.[48] The seventh game of the 1991 World Series is widely regarded as one of the greatest games in the history of professional baseball.[49][50][51]

text: After a winning season in 1992 but falling short of Oakland in the division, the Twins fell into a years-long stretch of mediocrity, posting a losing record each season for the next eight: 71–91 in 1993, 50–63 in 1994, 56–88 in 1995, 78–84 in 1996, 68–94 in 1997, 70–92 in 1998, 63–97 in 1999 and 69–93 in 2000. From 1994 to 1997, a long sequence of retirements and injuries hurt the team badly, and Tom Kelly spent the remainder of his managerial career attempting to rebuild the Twins. In 1997, owner Carl Pohlad almost sold the Twins to North Carolina businessman Don Beaver, who would have moved the team to the Piedmont Triad area.[52][53]

text: Puckett after the 1995 season was forced to retire at age 35 due to loss of vision in one eye from a central retinal vein occlusion.[54] The 1989 A.L. batting champion, he retired as the Twins' all-time leader in career hits, runs, doubles, and total bases. At the time of his retirement, his .318 career batting average was the highest by any right-handed American League batter since Joe DiMaggio. Puckett was the fourth baseball player during the 20th century to record 1,000 hits in his first five full calendar years in Major League Baseball, and was the second to record 2,000 hits during his first 10 full calendar years. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001, his first year of eligibility.

text: The Twins dominated the Central Division in the first decade of the new century, winning the division in six of those ten years ('02, '03, '04, '06, '09 and '10), and nearly winning it in '08 as well.  From 2001 to 2006, the Twins compiled the longest streak of consecutive winning seasons since moving to Minnesota.

text: Threatened with closure by league contraction,[55] the 2002 team battled back to reach the American League Championship Series before being eliminated 4–1 by that year's World Series champion Anaheim Angels.  The Twins have not won a playoff series since the 2002 series against the Athletics, this despite the team winning several division championships in the decade.

text: In 2006, the Twins won the division on the last day of the regular season (the only day all season they held sole possession of first place) but lost to the Oakland Athletics in the ALDS. Ozzie Guillén coined a nickname for this squad, calling the Twins "little piranhas".[56] The Twins players embraced the label, and in response, the Twins Front office started a "Piranha Night", with piranha finger puppets given out to the first 10,000 fans. Scoreboard operators sometimes played an animated sequence of piranhas munching under that caption in situations where the Twins were scoring runs playing "small ball", and the stadium vendors sold T-shirts and hats advertising "The Little Piranhas".

text: The Twins also had the AL MVP in Justin Morneau,[57] the AL batting champion in Joe Mauer,[56] and the AL Cy Young Award winner in Johan Santana.[58]

text: In 2008, the Twins finished the regular season tied with the White Sox on top of the AL Central, forcing a one-game playoff in Chicago to determine the division champion.[59] The Twins lost that game and missed the playoffs. The game location was determined by rule of a coin flip that was conducted in mid-September. This rule was changed for the start of the 2009 season, making the site for any tiebreaker game to be determined by the winner of the regular season head-to-head record between the teams involved.[60]

text: After a year where the Twins played .500 baseball for most of the season, the team won 17 of their last 21 games to tie the Detroit Tigers for the lead in the Central Division.[61] The Twins were able to use the play-in game rule to their advantage when they won the AL Central at the end of the regular season by way of a 6–5 tiebreaker game that concluded with a 12th-inning walk-off hit by Alexi Casilla to right field, that scored Carlos Gómez.[62] However, they failed to advance to the American League Championship Series as they lost the American League Divisional Series in three straight games to the eventual World Series champion New York Yankees.[63] That year, Joe Mauer became only the second catcher in 33 years to win the AL MVP award.[64] Iván Rodríguez won for the Texas Rangers in 1999, previous to that, the last catcher to win an AL MVP was the New York Yankees Thurman Munson in 1976.[65]

text: In their inaugural season played at Target Field, the Twins finished the regular season with a record of 94-68, clinching the AL Central Division title for the 6th time in 9 years under manager Ron Gardenhire. New regular players included rookie Danny Valencia at third base, designated hitter Jim Thome,[66] closer Matt Capps,[67] infielder J. J. Hardy,[68] and infielder Orlando Hudson.[69] In relief pitching roles were late additions Brian Fuentes and Randy Flores. On July 7, the team suffered a major blow when Justin Morneau sustained a concussion, which knocked him out for the rest of the season. In the divisional series, the Twins lost to the Yankees in a three-game sweep for the second consecutive year.[70] Following the season, Ron Gardenhire received AL Manager of the Year honors after finishing as a runner up in several prior years.[71]

text: After repeating as AL Central champions in 2010, the Twins entered 2011 with no players on the disabled list, and the team seemed poised for another strong season. During the off-season, the team signed Japanese shortstop Tsuyoshi Nishioka to fill a hole in the middle infield, re-signed Jim Thome, who was in pursuit of career home run number 600, and also re-signed Carl Pavano. However, the season was largely derailed by an extensive list of injuries. Nishioka's broken leg in a collision at second base[72] led the way and was followed by DL stints from Kevin Slowey, Joe Mauer, Jason Repko, Thome, Delmon Young (two stints on the DL), José Mijares, Glen Perkins, Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano, Jason Kubel, Denard Span (two stints), Justin Morneau, Scott Baker, and Alexi Casilla. The team's low point was arguably on May 1 when the team started 7 players who were batting below .235 in a game against Kansas City.[73] From that day forward, the Twins made a strong push to get as close as five games back of the division lead by the All-Star break. However, the team struggled down the stretch and fell back out of contention. The team failed to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2008 and experienced their first losing season in four years. Despite an AL-worst 63-99 record, the team drew over 3 million fans for the second consecutive year.[74]

text: Michael Cuddyer served as the Twins representative at the All-Star game, his first appearance.[75] Bert Blyleven's number was retired during the season and he was also inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame during the month of July.[76] On August 10, Nathan recorded his 255th save, passing Rick Aguilera for first place on the franchise's all-time saves list.[77] On August 15, Thome hit 599th and 600th home run at Comerica Park to become the eighth player in Major League history to hit 600 home runs, joining Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Ken Griffey, Jr., and Alex Rodriguez.[78]

text: The team started the 2012 season with a league worst 10-24 record.[79] In late May and early June, the team embarked on a hot streak, winning ten out of thirteen games.[80][81] By mid July, the team found themselves only 10 games out of the division lead.[82] On July 16, the Twins defeated the Baltimore Orioles 19-7, the most runs scored in the short history of Target Field.[83][84] By the end of August, the Twins were more than 20 games below .500, and last in the American League.[85] On August 29, it was announced that the Twins would host the 2014 All-Star Game.[86] In 2013, the Twins finished in 4th place in the AL Central, with a record of 66-96.[87] In 2014, the team finished with a 70-92 record, last in the division and accumulated the second fewest wins in the American League.[88] As a result, Ron Gardenhire was fired on September 29, 2014.[89] On November 3, 2014 Paul Molitor was announced by the team as the 13th manager in Twins history.

text: In 2015, the team had a winning season (83-79), following four consecutive seasons of 90 or more losses.

text: In 2016, the Minnesota Twins finished last in the AL Central, with a 59-103 record. Brian Dozier set his career high in home runs with 43, which was tied for second in baseball, and leading all 2nd basemen. Tyler Duffey led all Twins starters with 9 wins throughout the season, while fellow reliever Brandon Kintzler led the team with 17 saves. Rising stars Miguel Sano, Max Kepler, and Byron Buxton combined to have 263 total hits, 52 home runs, 167 RBIs, and a batting average of .232 throughout the season. The Twins signed star Korean slugger Byung Ho Park to a 4-year/$12 million contract, where he hit a .191 batting average, with 12 home runs, and 24 RBIs before being sent down to Rochester for the remainder of the season.[90]

text: Threatened contraction or relocation of the team[edit]

text: The quirks of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, including the turf floor and the white roof, gave the Twins a significant home-field advantage that played into their winning the World Series in both 1987 and 1991, at least in the opinion of their opponents, as the Twins went 12–1 in postseason home games during those two seasons.[91] These were the first two World Series in professional baseball history in which a team won the championship by winning all four home games.[92] (The feat has since been repeated once, by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001.) Nevertheless, the Twins argued that the Metrodome was obsolete and that the lack of a dedicated baseball-only ballpark limited team revenue and made it difficult to sustain a top-notch, competitive team (the Twins had been sharing tenancy in stadiums with the NFL's Minnesota Vikings since 1961). The team was rumored to contemplate moving to such places as New Jersey, Las Vegas, Portland, Oregon, the Greensboro/Winston-Salem, North Carolina, area, and elsewhere in search of a more financially competitive market. In 2002, the team was nearly disbanded when Major League Baseball selected the Twins and the Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals franchise) for elimination due to their financial weakness relative to other franchises in the league. The impetus for league contraction diminished after a court decision forced the Twins to play out their lease on the Metrodome. However, Twins owner Carl Pohlad continued his efforts to relocate, pursuing litigation against the Metropolitan Stadium Commission and obtaining a state court ruling that his team was not obligated to play in the Metrodome after the 2006 season. This cleared the way for the Twins to either be relocated or disbanded prior to the 2007 season if a new deal was not reached.

text: Target Field[edit]

text: In response to the threatened loss of the Twins, the Minnesota private and public sector negotiated and approved a financing package for a replacement stadium— a baseball-only outdoor, natural turf ballpark in the Warehouse District of downtown Minneapolis— owned by a new entity known as the Minnesota Ballpark Authority.[93] Target Field was constructed at a cost of $544.4 million (including site acquisition and infrastructure), utilizing the proceeds of a $392 million public bond offering based on a 0.15% sales tax in Hennepin County and private financing of $185 million provided by the Pohlad family.[94][95]  As part of the deal, the Twins also signed a 30-year lease of the new stadium, effectively guaranteeing the continuation of the team in Minnesota for a long time to come. Construction of the new field began in 2007, and was completed in December 2009, in time for the 2010 season. Commissioner Bud Selig, who earlier had threatened to disband the team, observed that without the new stadium the Twins could not have committed to sign their star player, catcher Joe Mauer, to an 8-year, $184 million contract extension. The first regular season game in Target Field was played against the Boston Red Sox on April 12, 2010, with Mauer driving in two runs and going 3-for-5 to help the Twins defeat the Red Sox, 5–2.[96]

text: On May 18, 2011, Target Field was named "The Best Place To Shop" by Street and Smith's SportsBusiness Journal at the magazine's 2011 Sports Business Awards Ceremony in New York City.[97] It was also named "The Best Sports Stadium in North America" by ESPN The Magazine in a ranking that included over 120 different stadiums, ballparks and arenas from around North America.[98]

text: In July 2014, Target Field hosted the 85th Major League Baseball All-Star Game and the Home Run Derby.

text: Current roster[edit]

text:
Minnesota Twins rostervte

Active roster

Inactive roster

Coaches/Other

Pitchers
Starting rotation

17 José Berríos
44 Kyle Gibson
12 Jake Odorizzi
54 Ervin Santana
53 Kohl Stewart
Bullpen

32 Oliver Drake
21 Tyler Duffey
39 Trevor Hildenberger
68 Matt Magill
65 Trevor May
58 Gabriel Moya
43 Addison Reed
55 Taylor Rogers

Catchers

23 Mitch Garver
46 Bobby Wilson
Infielders

16 Ehire Adrianza
31 Tyler Austin
24 Logan Forsythe
 7 Joe Mauer
11 Jorge Polanco
22 Miguel Sanó
Outfielders

60 Jake Cave
51 Johnny Field
26 Max Kepler
20 Eddie Rosario

Pitchers

19 Matt Belisle
67 Alan Busenitz
27 John Curtiss
-- Chase De Jong
59 Stephen Gonsalves
52 Zack Littell
49 Adalberto Mejía
77 Fernando Romero
50 Aaron Slegers
71 Lewis Thorpe

Infielders

64 Willians Astudillo
99 Logan Morrison
Outfielders

25 Byron Buxton
 8 Zack Granite
36 Robbie Grossman

Manager

 4 Paul Molitor
Coaches

41 Garvin Alston (pitching)
75 Nate Dammann (bullpen catcher)
13 Gene Glynn (third base)
18 Eddie Guardado (bullpen)
63 Rudy Hernandez (assistant hitting)
30 Jeff Pickler (major league coach)
76 Ben Richardson (bullpen catcher)
33 James Rowson (hitting)
37 Jeff Smith (first base)
 9 Derek Shelton (bench)
60-day disabled list

15 Jason Castro
35 Michael Pineda

25 active, 15 inactive
 7- or 10-day disabled list
 Suspended list
# Personal leave
Roster and coaches updated August 12, 2018
Transactions
• Depth chart

→ All MLB rosters

tag: table

text: Minnesota Twins all-time roster: A complete list of players who played in at least one game for the Twins franchise.

text: Minor league affiliates[edit]

text:
Level

Team

League

Location

AAA

Rochester Red Wings

International League

Rochester, New York

AA

Chattanooga Lookouts

Southern League

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Advanced A

Fort Myers Miracle

Florida State League

Fort Myers, Florida

A

Cedar Rapids Kernels

Midwest League

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Rookie

Elizabethton Twins

Appalachian League

Elizabethton, Tennessee

GCL Twins

Gulf Coast League

Fort Myers, Florida

DSL Twins

Dominican Summer League

Dominican Republic

text: Achievements[edit]

text: Baseball Hall of Famers[edit]

text:
Minnesota Twins Hall of Famers

Affiliation according to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

Washington Senators

Stan CoveleskiJoe CroninEd Delahanty

Rick FerrellLefty GomezGoose Goslin

Clark GriffithBucky HarrisWhitey HerzogWalter Johnson

Heinie ManushSam RiceAl Simmons

George SislerTris SpeakerEarly Wynn

Minnesota Twins

Bert Blyleven

Rod CarewSteve Carlton

Harmon KillebrewPaul Molitor

Jack MorrisKirby Puckett

Jim ThomeDave Winfield

Players and managers listed in bold are depicted on their Hall of Fame plaques wearing a Twins or Senators cap insignia.

text: Molitor and Winfield, St. Paul natives and University of Minnesota graduates,[99] came to the team late in their careers and were warmly received as "hometown heroes", but were elected to the Hall on the basis of their tenures with other teams. Both swatted their 3,000th hit with the Twins.[100][101]

text: Cronin, Goslin, Griffith, Harris, Johnson, Killebrew and Wynn are listed on the Washington Hall of Stars display at Nationals Park (previously they were listed at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium). So are Ossie Bluege, George Case, Joe Judge, George Selkirk, Roy Sievers, Cecil Travis, Mickey Vernon and Eddie Yost.[102]

text: Ford C. Frick Award recipients[edit]

text:
Minnesota Twins Ford C. Frick Award recipients

Affiliation according to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

Herb Carneal

Russ Hodges

Arch McDonald

Chuck Thompson

Bob Wolff

Names in bold received the award based primarily on their work as broadcasters for the Twins or Senators.

text: Team captains[edit]

text: 3 Harmon Killebrew 1961–74

tag: ul

text: Twins Hall of Fame[edit]

text:
Key

Year

Year inducted

Bold

Member of the Baseball Hall of Fame

Member of the Baseball Hall of Fame as a Twin

Bold

Recipient of the Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award

text:
Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame

Year

No.

Name

Position(s)

Tenure

2000
3
Harmon Killebrew
1B
1961–74

29
Rod Carew
2B
1967–78

6
Tony Oliva
RF/DH
1962–76

14
Kent Hrbek
1B
1981–94

34
Kirby Puckett
CF
1984–95

—
Calvin Griffith
President and Owner
1961–83

2001
—
Herb Carneal
Radio Broadcaster
1962–2007

36
Jim Kaat
P
1961–73

2002
28
Bert Blyleven
P
1970–761985–88

10
Tom Kelly
Manager
1986–2001

2003
4
Bob Allison
OF
1961–70

—
Bob Casey
Public Address Announcer
1961–2004

2004
10
Earl Battey
C
1961–67

2005
16
Frank Viola
P
1982–89

—
Carl Pohlad
Owner
1984–2009

2006
2
Zoilo Versalles
SS
1961–67

2007
8
Gary Gaetti
3B
1981–90

—
Jim Rantz
Director of Minor Leagues
1986–2012

2008
38
Rick Aguilera
P
1989–951996–99

2009[103]
22, 23, 59
Brad Radke
P
1995–2006

—
George Brophy
Front office executive
1961–85

2010[104]
7
Greg Gagne
SS
1983–92

2011[105]
31
Jim Perry
P
1963–72

2012[106]
17
Camilo Pascual
P
1961–66

2013[107]
18
Eddie Guardado
P
1993–2003, 2008

—
Tom Mee
Media Relations Director
1961-91

2016
—
John Gordon
Radio Broadcaster
1987-2011

48
Torii Hunter
CF/RF
1997–2007, 2015

2017
5
Michael Cuddyer
RF
2001–11

—
Andy MacPhail
General Manager
1985–94

2018
57
Johan Santana
P
2000–2007

text: Retired numbers[edit]

text: The Metrodome's upper deck in center and right fields was partly covered by a curtain containing banners of various titles won, and retired numbers. There was no acknowledgment of the Twins' prior championships in Washington and several Senator Hall of Famers, such as Walter Johnson, played in the days prior to numbers being used on uniforms. However Killebrew played seven seasons as a Senator, including two full seasons as a regular prior to the move to Minnesota in 1961.

text: Prior to the addition of the banners, the Twins acknowledged their retired numbers on the Metrodome's outfield fence. Harmon Killebrew's #3 was the first to be displayed, as it was the only one the team had retired when they moved in. It was joined by Rod Carew's #29 in 1987, Tony Oliva's #6 in 1991, Kent Hrbek's #14 in 1995, and Kirby Puckett's #34 in 1997 before the Twins began hanging the banners to reduce capacity. The championships, meanwhile were marked on the "Baggie" in right field.

text:
HarmonKillebrewLF-1B-3BRetired May 4, 1975
TonyOlivaRF-DH-CoachRetired July 14, 1991
TomKellyManagerRetired September 8, 2012
KentHrbek1BRetired August 13, 1995
BertBlylevenPRetired July 16, 2011
RodCarew1B-2BRetired July 19, 1987
KirbyPuckettCFRetired May 25, 1997
JackieRobinsonAll MLBHonored April 15, 1997

text: In the Metrodome, the numbers ran in that order from left to right. In Target Field, they run from right to left, presumably to allow space for additional numbers in the future. The retired numbers also serve as entry points at Target Field, The center field gate is Gate No. 3, honoring Killebrew, the left field gate is Gate No. 6, honoring Oliva, the home plate gate is Gate No. 14, for Hrbek, the right field gate serves as Gate No. 29, in tribute to Carew, and the plaza gate is known as Gate No. 34, honoring Puckett.

text: The numbers that have been retired hang within Target Field in front of the tower that serves as the Twins' executive offices in left field foul territory. The championships banners have been replaced by small pennants that fly on masts at the back of the left field upper deck. Those pennants, along with the flags flying in the plaza behind right field, serve as a visual cue for the players, suggesting the wind direction and speed.

text: Jackie Robinson's number, 42, was retired by Major League Baseball on April 15, 1997 and formally honored by the Twins on May 23, 1997.[108] Robinson's number was positioned to the left of the Twins numbers in both venues.

text:
Player
Jersey
Position
Date retired

Harmon Killebrew
3
LF-1B-3B: 1954–60 (WAS)LF-1B-3B: 1961–74 (MIN)
May 4, 1975

Rod Carew
29
1B-2B: 1967–78 (MIN)
July 19, 1987

Tony Oliva
6
RF-DH: 1962–76 (MIN)Coach: 1976–78 (MIN)Coach: 1985–91 (MIN)
July 14, 1991

Kent Hrbek
14
1B: 1981–94 (MIN)
August 13, 1995

Jackie Robinson
42
Retired by MLB
April 15, 1997

Kirby Puckett
34
CF: 1984–95 (MIN)
May 25, 1997

Bert Blyleven
28
P: 1970–76 (MIN)P: 1985–88 (MIN)
July 16, 2011

Tom Kelly
10
Manager: 1986–2001 (MIN)
September 8, 2012

text: Awards[edit]

text: Team records[edit]

text: Team seasons[edit]

text:
Year
Regular Season
Postseason
Result

Wins
Losses
Win %
Finish
Attendance
Attendance per Game
Record
Win %

2001
85
77
.525
2nd – AL Central
1,782,929
22,011
0–0
.000

2002
94
67
.584
1st – AL Central
1,924,473
23,906
4–6
.400
Won ALDS vs Oakland Athletics, 3–2  Lost ALCS to Anaheim Angels, 1–4

2003
90
72
.556
1st – AL Central
1,946,011
24,025
1–3
.250
Lost ALDS to New York Yankees, 1–3

2004
92
70
.568
1st – AL Central
1,911,490
23,599
1–3
.250
Lost ALDS to New York Yankees, 1–3

2005
83
79
.512
3rd – AL Central
2,034,243
25,114
0–0
.000

2006
96
66
.593
1st – AL Central
2,285,018
28,210
0–3
.000
Lost ALDS to Oakland Athletics, 0–3

2007
79
83
.488
3rd – AL Central
2,296,347
28,349
0–0
.000

2008
88
75
.540
2nd – AL Central
2,302,611
28,427
0–0
.000

2009
87
76
.534
1st – AL Central
2,416,237
29,466
0–3
.000
Lost ALDS to New York Yankees, 0–3

2010
94
68
.580
1st – AL Central
3,223,640
39,798
0–3
.000
Lost ALDS to New York Yankees, 0–3

2011
63
99
.389
5th – AL Central
3,168,107
39,112
0–0
.000

2012
66
96
.407
5th – AL Central
2,776,354
34,275
0–0
.000

2013
66
96
.407
4th – AL Central
2,477,644
30,588
0–0
.000

2014
70
92
.432
5th – AL Central
2,250,606
27,785
0–0
.000

2015
83
79
.521
2nd – AL Central
2,220,054
27,408
0–0
.000

2016
59
103
.364
5th – AL Central
1,963,912
24,246
0–0
.000

2017
85
77
.525
2nd – AL Central
2,051,279
25,324
0–1
.000
Lost AL Wild Card Game (Yankees)

2018
48
53
.475
2nd – AL Central
1,202,731
25,056
0–0
.000

Total as Twins
4549
4647
.495
 –
 –
 –
25–39
.391
2 World Series Championships

text: Radio and television[edit]

text: In 2007, the Twins took the rights to the broadcasts in-house and created the Twins Radio Network (TRN). With that new network in place the Twins secured a new Metro Affiliate flagship radio station in KSTP (AM 1500). It replaced WCCO (AM 830), which held broadcast rights for the Twins since the team moved to Minneapolis in 1961. For 2013, the Twins moved to FM radio on KTWN-FM 96.3 K-Twin, which is owned by the Pohlad family. The original radio voices of the Twins in 1961 were Ray Scott, Halsey Hall and Bob Wolff. After the first season, Herb Carneal replaced Wolff. Twins TV and radio broadcasts were originally sponsored by the Hamm's Brewing Company. In 2009, Treasure Island Resort & Casino became the first ever naming rights partner for the Twins Radio Network, making the commercial name of TRN the Treasure Island Baseball Network.[111] In 2017, it was announced that WCCO would become the flagship station the Twins again starting in 2018, thus returning the team back to its original station after 11 years.[112]

text: Cory Provus is the current radio play by play announcer,[113] taking over in 2012 for longtime Twins voice John Gordon who retired following the 2011 season.[114] Former Twins OF Dan Gladden serves as color commentator.[115]

text: TRN broadcasts are originated from the studios at Minnesota News Network and Minnesota Farm Networks. Kris Atteberry hosts the pre-game show, the "Lineup Card" and the "Post-game Download" from those studios except when filling in for Provus or Gladden when they are on vacation.

text: On April 1, 2007, Herb Carneal, the radio voice of the Twins for all but one year of their existence, died at his home in Minnetonka, Minnesota after a long battle with a list of illnesses. Carneal is in the broadcasters wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame.[116]

text: The television rights are held by Fox Sports North[117] with Dick Bremer as the play-by-play announcer and former Twin, 2011 National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee,[118] Bert Blyleven as color analyst. They are sometimes joined by Roy Smalley and Jack Morris.[119]

text: Bob Casey was the Twins first public-address announcer starting in 1961 and continuing until his death in 2005. He was well known for his unique delivery and his signature announcements of "No smoking in the Metrodome, either go outside or quit!" (or "go back to Boston", etc.), "Batting 3rd, the center-fielder, No. 34, Kirby Puckett!!!" and asking fans not to 'throw anything or anybody' onto the field.[120]

text: Community activities[edit]

text: Minnesota Twins Community Fund – Play Ball! Minnesota[121]

text: Team and franchise traditions[edit]

text: Fans wave a Homer Hanky to rally the team during play-offs and other crucial games. The Homer Hanky was created by Terrie Robbins of the Star Tribune newspaper in the Twin Cities in 1987. It was her idea to originally give away 60,000 inaugural Homer Hankies. That year, over 2.3 million Homer Hankies were distributed.[122]

text: The party atmosphere of the Twins clubhouse after a win is well-known,[123] the team's players unwinding with loud rock music (usually the choice of the winning pitcher) and video games.[123]

text: The club has several hazing rituals, such as requiring the most junior relief pitcher on the team to carry water and snacks to the bullpen in a brightly colored small child's backpack (Barbie in 2005, SpongeBob SquarePants in 2006, Hello Kitty in 2007, Disney Princess and Tinkerbell in 2009, Chewbacca and Darth Vader in 2010),[123] and many of its players, both past and present, are notorious pranksters.[123] For example, Bert Blyleven earned the nickname "The Frying Dutchman" for his ability to pull the "hotfoot" – which entails crawling under the bench in the dugout and lighting a teammate's shoelaces on fire.[124][125]


document_title: A.D. The Bible Continues

question_text: who plays saul in ad kingdom and empire

question_tokens: who plays saul in ad kingdom and empire

text: A.D. The Bible Continues

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Juan Pablo Di Pace as Jesus
Adam Levy as Peter
Richard Coyle as Caiaphas
Vincent Regan as Pontius Pilate
James Callis as Herod Antipas
Greta Scacchi as Mary
Babou Ceesay as John
Chipo Chung as Mary Magdalene
Will Thorp as Cornelius the Centurion
Emmett J. Scanlan as Saul of Tarsus
Jodhi May as Leah, wife of Caiaphas
Joanne Whalley as Claudia, wife of Pontius Pilate
Ken Bones as Annas
Kevin Doyle as Joseph of Arimathea
Helen Daniels as Maya, daughter of Peter
Fraser Ayres as Simon the Zealot
Andrew Gower as Caligula
Claire Cooper as Herodias
Chris Brazier as Reuben
Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson as Thomas
Kenneth Collard as Barnabas
Pedro Lloyd Gardiner as Matthew
Denver Isaac as James brother of John
George Georgiou (de) as Boaz[5]
Farzana Dua Elahe as Saint Joanna
Joe Dixon as Philip
Jim Sturgeon as Chuza
Marama Corlett as Tabitha
Charlene McKenna as Eva
Alastair Mackenzie as James the Just
Kenneth Cranham as Tiberius
Reece Ritchie as Stephen
Stephen Walters as Simon the Sorcerer
Michael Peluso as Herod Agrippa
Struan Rodger as Gamaliel
Nicholas Sidi as Ananias of Damascus
Peter De Jersey as Ananias, husband of Sapphira
Indra Ové as Sapphira
Colin Salmon as Gabra the Ethiopian
Francis Magee as Levi, the leader of the Zealots
John Benfield as Yitzhak, student of Simon the Sorcerer
John Ioannou as Melek, a healed cripple
Lex Shrapnel as Jonathan, son of Annas

text: Development[edit]

text: On December 17, 2013, it was announced that there would be a follow-up miniseries to The Bible in 2015.[1]

text: In anticipation of the global event, a number of companion materials were released in an effort by Palam Fidelis Publishing to engage thoughtful, religious discussion by offering "Family Discussion Guides" for each episode.[6]

text: Reception[edit]

text: The show premiered on Easter Sunday 2015 on NBC to 9.7 million viewers.[7] It averaged 6.5 million viewers across 12 episodes on NBC.[4]

text: A.D.: The Bible Continues has received mixed reviews from critics. On the aggregate website Metacritic, eleven critics have given it a score of 55 out of 100, based on "mixed or average reviews".[8] On Rotten Tomatoes, the miniseries received a 58% score based on twelve reviews (seven positive and five negative). The Rotten Tomatoes consensus summary states, "Attempts to offer a fresh look at a traditional tale notwithstanding, A.D.: The Bible Continues doesn't do enough to set itself apart from its many predecessors." Viewers tended to be more favorable, with over 80% of viewers liking the series; with an average rating of 4 out 5.[9]

text: In Australia, the series premiered on July 5, 2015 on the Nine Network, as A.D. Kingdom and Empire.[10] It premiered to 472,000 viewers, losing 828,000 viewers from its 60 Minutes lead-in.[11]

text: Episodes[edit]

text: This episode's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (November 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text:
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUS viewers(millions)1"The Tomb Is Open"Ciaran DonnellySimon BlockApril 5, 2015 (2015-04-05)9.68[7]
After the public calls for Jesus to be crucified and Peter denies knowing him, Jesus is sent to Pontius Pilate to have the final say. Pilate orders the crucifixion of Jesus in order to maintain the peace and satisfy his people. Overcome with guilt for betraying Jesus, Judas hangs himself in the wastelands. Caiaphas defends his decision to send Jesus to Pilate with his father-in-law Annas. The act will send a message to all who oppose Roman law. Annas suggests a quicker death. Pilate grants two requests: Jesus' expedited death and Joseph of Arimathea's petition to claim the body. Pilate's wife Claudia warns that he will regret crucifying Jesus, who soon dies on the cross. Jerusalem trembles and the temple's holy veil splits. A soldier arrives to ensure Jesus' death, and Joseph offers his tomb as a final resting place. There he, Mother Mary, John, and Mary Magdalene clean the body and pray before closing the tomb. Caiaphas requests that Pilate post soldiers outside the tomb and place a Roman seal across the front, which will carry the death penalty if broken. Pilate agrees. Peter admits to John and Mary Magdalene that he denied Jesus, as the remaining disciples gather at the safe house. They all argue over the next course of action and Mother Mary reminds them of the prophesied return of Jesus. They decide to leave the city if he doesn't return on the third day. Soon, another tremble and the tomb illuminates behind its seal. An angel dressed as a warrior appears on top of the tomb and exposes its sword, a sign to the shocked Roman guards to not interfere. Later, Caiaphas receives news that the Roman seal has been broken, the tomb opened, and Jesus is gone.
2"The Body Is Gone"Ciaran DonnellySimon BlockApril 12, 2015 (2015-04-12)7.75[12]
Mary Magdalene sneaks to Joseph's tomb and finds it open. Nothing is inside but the shroud that Jesus wore on the cross, left perfectly folded. She returns to the safe house to tell the others. Caiaphas listens to Reuben and the other guards try to explain what happened – a warrior angel broke the seal and moved the massive stone. Caiaphas thinks that some followers of Jesus must have raided the tomb in an attempt to fake a resurrection. Caiaphas gives his men strict orders to say that they fell asleep on duty if asked, and instructs Reuben to find Jesus' body immediately. Caiaphas then lies to Pilate that Jesus is dead in the tomb; however, a tomb guard reports otherwise after Caiaphas leaves. After being left at the empty tomb by Peter and John, Mary Magdalene is visited by Jesus, who is without stain. She returns to the chaotic safe house to report the news. Jesus appears to his disciples and later to a doubting Thomas, before guards storm the safe house and the disciples scatter into the city. Pilate orders the deaths of most of Caiaphas' guards, as Reuben and Caiaphas search the city for the body of Jesus. The disciples make it to the coast of the Sea of Galilee, where Peter finds it difficult catching fish. A man appears and instructs him to cast the net on the right side of the boat. The net quickly becomes filled with fish, and the men confirm their adviser to be Jesus. He suggests that they return to Jerusalem, wait there, then spread the word. Jesus then climbs a hill and disappears in a bright light. Angry over the death of his men, Caiaphas confronts Pilate, who then kills the tomb guards in front of him as a lesson in "civic administration".
3"The Spirit Arrives"Ciaran DonnellyAndy RattenburyApril 19, 2015 (2015-04-19)6.36[13]
Leah comforts her distressed husband Caiaphas by saying that his men's deaths was Pilate's order to quash any rumor of resurrection. Pilate confesses to Claudia about killing the soldiers in the palace, which is preparing for King Herod Antipas' visit. Upon his arrival, Antipas asks Caiaphas why the city feels as if it is about to erupt. He assures King Antipas that it has nothing to do with the recent crucifixion, but Antipas says that Caiaphas mishandled to entire thing by involving the Romans and warns to not do it again. Peter's daughter Maya joins him at the safe house, and she suggests prayer to be the disciples' solution for their future missions. After the Holy Spirit fills them, they confidently set out to spread the word. Caiaphas ensures the widow of a guard that his murderer will be found, but Leah tells her to leave the city. Claudia remains distant from Pilate, but asks Cornelius to look after him during the Festival of Pentecost. The disciples enter the temple and heal a crippled man in the name of Jesus, only to be beaten by Reuben and his men. Peter and John are arrested, but they are proud that their mission has begun. An assassination attempt is made on Pilate which results in the death of Roman soldier Drusus. Pilate orders the deaths of those in the vicinity of the crime. Upon seeing the dead bodies of his townspeople, Caiaphas knows that he must stand up for himself and his fellow Jews against the ruthless Romans.
4"The Wrath"Tony MitchellBen NewmanApril 26, 2015 (2015-04-26)5.77[14]
Pilate decrees that ten Jews will be crucified every day until the assassin is found. As Thomas baptizes Stephen, Maya announces her return to the city to check on her father, and Mary Magdalene joins her to keep her promise of Maya's safety to Peter. Cornelius and his men search the city for Boaz, after finding in his shop the knife used in the attempt. Caiaphas puts Peter and John on public trial. The crowd supports their miracles under God's name and Caiaphas is forced to release them, with the caveat to not teach nor speak Jesus' name. Peter and John's popularity grows after their release, which overwhelms Peter. Mother Mary comforts him by stating that Jesus knew that Peter's faith would help him with his new responsibilities. John has a dream that leads him to the Temple, where he recruits Barnabas, who gives his land to the cause. Levi finds Boaz and warns him of the ease in doing so, adding that he should leave the city. Boaz visits the new commune, and Peter says that he can live there as long as he repents of his sins. Boaz refuses, relying on his Jewish identity and not the name of Jesus. The Holy Spirit shows Peter a vision of Ananias and Sapphira hiding money, despite their telling Peter that they donated everything to the commune. When confronted, both die, drowning in their own fluids. Caiaphas disrespects Pilate, and Claudia gives Boaz's name to Leah, hoping to end the chaos.
5"The First Martyr"Tony MitchellBen NewmanMay 3, 2015 (2015-05-03)5.47[15]
After Peter's trial, the people of the camp have become afraid of him. Mother Mary assures him that, in time, faith will give them understanding, but pain and despair are currently in control. Jesus came to free them from it. Peter gathers the apostles; they will go to Jerusalem to offer their fearful followers sanctuary in the camp. Once in Jerusalem, Peter and the apostles are stunned to find their former safe house filled with scared converts and refugees. With no assassin news, Pilate orders Cornelius to seize 10 Jewish women from a wedding party and crucify them. Cornelius and his men take 10 Jews from the market to crucify. Meanwhile, Leah finds a worried Caiaphas and shares the assassin's name (Boaz), adding that his fiancée Eva has been found and could flush him out. Leah visits Eva, asking her to persuade Boaz to give himself up, hoping to end Pilate's crucifixions. Eva remains stoic. Boaz turns himself in to Caiaphas and Reuben. Pilate has Cornelius to torture Boaz, who is then spared when Levi the leader of the Zealots shoots him with an arrow, killing him. Later, Stephen publicly condemns Caiaphas for refusing the Word of God, and he is stoned to death while a young man named Saul of Tarsus is watching.
6"The Persecution"Tony MitchellDamian WaylingMay 10, 2015 (2015-05-10)4.53[16]
After Stephen's death by stoning, the disciples gather at the safe house to pray over his body. Back at the camp, Barnabas tells Philip that he dreamed that Stephen wouldn't be the last of them to die. The two men notice a stranger entering the camp, who introduces himself as Saul of Tarsus, a scholar, Jew, Roman, Pharisee, and defender of the Temple of Jerusalem. Saul claims that Jesus was nothing more than a false prophet, and preaching his message will bring nothing but wrath upon the disciples. While walking through the market, Annas asks his son Jonathan if he cannot see that Caiaphas must be replaced because of his involvement with Pilate. Jonathan points out that Annas is plotting against his own son-in-law, but Annas waves him off. The Sanhedrin seeks Caiaphas's successor and now the family needs Jonathan to step up. Caiaphas is not happy to play host to Leah's family, and less happy to discover that Herod Antipas and Herodias have invited themselves to stay for the Purim festival. On their way, the royal couple stops off to survey the Nazarene's camp to see that it was so close to Jerusalem and densely populated. Over dinner, they admit that Purim was a useful excuse for them to check to see if the city still stands after Pilate's recent wave of crucifixions. Annas and Jonathan steer the conversation towards the Nazarene's encampment, sowing seeds of doubt against Caiaphas. Herodias and Antipas would prefer not to choose between Caiaphas and Jonathan. Nevertheless, he knows that he'll have to throw his support behind one of them and then let Pilate have the responsibility of dealing with the fallout.
7"The Visit"Brian KellyAndy RattenburyMay 17, 2015 (2015-05-17)4.80[17]
Saul and his men search Jerusalem for Peter and the disciples. Simon the Sorcerer fails to heal an unconscious woman in the market and asks to be baptized, following Philip's managing to do so in the name of Jesus. Roman Emperor Tiberius and his nephew Caligula enter Jerusalem. Tiberius has asked Antipas and Herodias to be in attendance of Pilate's governorship review. Pilate asks Caiaphas to speak for him. Emperor Tiberius dismisses all when talk of God arises. Later, Caiphas dupes Saul into thinking that Peter left for Damascus; Saul leaves Jerusalem in pursuit of Peter. Claudia escorts Tiberius to his bedchamber to hear his recollection of some dreams. She later tells Pilate that they must keep their nerve, as Tiberius is a tired old man.
8"The Road to Damascus"Brian KellyDamian WaylingMay 24, 2015 (2015-05-24)4.24[18]
Caiaphas asks Reuben to escort Saul to Damascus, hoping that Tiberius will depart Jerusalem before Saul's return. The long trip to Damascus wears Reuben down, and he asks why Saul hates Peter. Saul angrily exclaims that God would not choose a simple fisherman to spread His message, adding that Jesus is an impostor. The sky then goes dark and Jesus appears to Saul in a ball of light. He instructs Saul to go to Damascus and await further instruction. Saul's men find him blinded and screaming for help. Jesus later appears to Ananias, saying that Saul is the chosen instrument to inform the Gentiles and their kings and the Jewish people and their priests. Ananias cures Saul of his blindness and later baptizes him. He becomes a new man and goes to the synagogue in Damascus to preach. John and Peter go to Samaria to assist Philip. Simon the Sorcerer offers to donate all of his money to help spread Jesus' word, in exchange for "a few drops of the Holy Spirit". His bargaining attempt causes rage to explode from Peter and  blood to flow from his eye sockets, but Peter urges him to repent and begs God for mercy on Simon. Upon witnessing Caligula's debauchery with Herod Agrippa, Claudia and Pilate counsel Tiberius, which includes separating them by sending Caligula back to Rome. Enraged, Caligula warns Pilate and Claudia that they will answer to him and that Tiberius' reign and protection is nearing an end. Claudia dreams of Tiberius' death by Caligula's hand. Antipas, Pilate, and their wives learn from Caligula that Tiberius died in his sleep. Caligula tears up Pilate's commission and proclaims himself to be the new emperor. (This is historically inaccurate because Tiberius died in 37 A.D., not 33 A.D.; also that Caligula was a good emperor for 6 months before devolving into a tyrant for his remaining 3 years of rule before his assassination in 41 A.D., the show portrayed him as a sadistic murdering bisexual from the get go.)
9"Saul's Return"Rob EvansTom GrievesMay 31, 2015 (2015-05-31)4.74[19]
Saul's preaching at the Damascus synagogue sparks a riot from Saul's former friends, the Jews in Damascus. Barnabas helps him escape and with excitement they go back to Jerusalem to see Peter and the other disciples. Back in Jerusalem, Leah, furious at Saul's betrayal, orders Reuben to find him, shame him, and kill him for his switch of allegiance. Emperor Caligula gets no response from Claudia when asking her to show her devotion to her emperor. He asks the same of Aurelius, Tiberius' advisor, who falls onto his own sword and dies. Just before leaving to Rome with Herod Agrippa, Caligula orders Pilate to erect a statue of him in the temple, the new "king" of the Jews. When Caiaphas learns of the statue plans, he cites the Book of Daniel (Chapter 8) and its foretelling of death and destruction. At the camp, Peter argues with Saul, who insists that he has turned to Jesus Christ and that they should carry on spreading His message. Claudia consults with Leah and Herodias regarding Caligula and his statue. Leah suggests making Saul a scapegoat, igniting a war between church and state. Meanwhile, the disciples learn of the statue plans and imagine that, once the "abomination of desolation" (the statue of Caligula) is set up, Jesus might return. However, Leah, Cornelius, Herodias, and Claudia discuss circumventing that, as well as the expected fallout from the proposed statue. Simon the Zealot, unhappy with the disciples accepting Saul, meets Eva, Boaz's widow, who calls it the first step to meeting the enemies of Rome and giving them news vital to the future of the Temple. While searching for Simon the Zealot, Saul is captured by Reuben and his men. Leah tells Caiaphas that Saul should be stoned publicly so that the Jewish people may learn what happens to a man who betrays the high priest. Caiaphas then neglects that idea and says that it might be possible to try to talk Saul out of his new faith and prove the fact that belief in the "dead" Jesus can change no one. But Caiaphas goes to the prison and sees Saul praying to Jesus; he realizes that it will be harder than he thinks.
10"Brothers In Arms"Rob EvansRachel AnthonyJune 7, 2015 (2015-06-07)4.09[20]
Caiaphas talks with Saul about how he came to the high priest and demanded that he could attack the "blasphemers" and defend the Temple. Saul replies that he wanted to impress Caiaphas but now he understands truth. Caiaphas threatens Saul with the idea of what Gamaliel his teacher would make of his new understanding and asks him to rejoin the Temple. But Saul declares that the Temple is a temporary home and that no one except Jesus can forgive him and He already did by fulfilling prophet Isaiah's words and recreating him in Jesus' name. Caiaphas punches Saul and threatens him with misery when Saul says that there is no need for the Temple or for the high priest. However, eventually, Saul is released by Caiaphas, much to Leah's dismay. Leah requests that Saul's release be under the condition of forgiveness, but Caiaphas denies it, saying that he is busy uniting the Jews to fight the statue being brought in by the Romans. Meanwhile, James the Just, Jesus' childhood friend, visits the disciples and talks to Caiaphas about ending the persecution brought on the followers of Jesus. Caiaphas offers the disciples peace and sanctification, but they are reluctant considering the amount of harm that Caiaphas did to them. Controversy erupts with the disciples and Saul over the function of the Temple. James the Just argues that, since they're Jews, the Temple is important, but Saul says that they follow Jesus and He is more important and they have a message to preach. This creates suspicion and resentment in the heart of Simon the Zealot, and Levi the leader of the Zealots is able to use those feelings to get Simon the Zealot to side with him and possibly against Saul. A wealthy Ethiopian treasurer visits Jerusalem and Pilate invites him to dine in the Roman palace. The Ethiopian treasurer wants peace from his enemies, to which Pilate and Antipas argue that they are enemies. In the meantime, with the encouragement and ministry of Joanna and Mary Magdalene, Tabitha becomes a Christian, but is discovered by Claudia and Herodias, finally is scourged by Pilate's orders. However, Saul consoles Tabitha that no one can stand against the love of Jesus, which brings a change in Simon the Zealot, who warns the other disciples of the Zealots' intention to kill Saul. Pilate plans to kill Joanna to make her death count, but Claudia gives her food each night to keep her strength up. Unbeknownst to them, a scheme is made between the Ethiopians and the Zealots.
11"Rise Up"Paul WilmshurstBen NewmanJune 14, 2015 (2015-06-14)3.99[21]
Pilate kills Joanna and exiles the Ethiopian treasurer for collaboration with the Zealots; the disciples send Saul back to Tarsus to preach; Peter heals Aeneas and resurrects Tabitha (from Acts 9), winning new converts to the faith. The Jewish people and the Zealots rally for war, but distrust each other. Upon witnessing the Ethiopian treasurer banished, Caiaphas suspects that his wife Leah might have had a hand in it. A change is seen in Claudia and Cornelius after the death of Joanna. Philip returns to Jerusalem and meets Peter again. The two have a good time talking, then an angel dressed as a warrior instructs Philip to go to the road that leads from Jerusalem to the Mediterranean Sea. While on the road, Philip meets the Ethiopian treasurer reading the prophet Isaiah's writings, given to him by Caiaphas the high priest. Philip explains to the Ethiopian that the writings speak of a man who knew great suffering that produced great faith and, in the end, that man bore our transgressions for us, was killed, then rose again - Jesus Christ the son of God. While traveling with Philip, the Ethiopian believes and is baptized. After baptizing the Ethiopian believer, Philip is transported back to Samaria. Emperor Caligula's statue (made of pure gold) enters Jerusalem with the promise of total war and destruction.
12"The Abomination"[22]Paul WilmshurstTom GrievesJune 21, 2015 (2015-06-21)3.56[23]
Emperor Caligula's golden statue arrives in Jerusalem which draws everyone in rebellion against the Romans including the high priest. Pilate meets with Caiaphas and his wife Leah to tell them that the golden statue of Emperor Caligula must enter the Temple whether they like it or not. Caiaphas opposes, saying that he can't help Pilate anymore. Pilate taunts Caiaphas by saying that Leah, Caiaphas' wife, is a friend of his because she helped him expose a past conspiracy between the Ethiopians and the Zealots. Caiaphas replies that his wife Leah gave the information with his knowledge so he is untainted and Pilate has no allies or victims and the Caligula statue made of gold will never enter the Temple. Meanwhile, Peter and Mary Magdalene are led to the house of Cornelius, now ready to repent of his sins and become a Christian. After being baptized and accepting Jesus, Cornelius and his family are filled with the Holy Spirit, to Peter and Mary Magdalene's amazement. Caiaphas calls a meeting with James the Just to tell him that, if the disciples join him, they can repel the statue of Caligula. James the Just denies the offer, saying that he worships Jesus and cannot use violence. Enraged, Caiaphas swears that he will persecute all the disciples of Jesus and that they have no interest in anything but themselves. On the heights of the Temple, Caiaphas chides his wife Leah for conspiring with Pilate. Leah says that it had to be done, at which Caiaphas banishes her to her home. Leah asks her father and brother Annas and Jonathan for assistance, but they deny her request. Pilate tries to convince his wife Claudia that his responsibilities as governor are important and he has no choice in what he does. Claudia informs Pilate that he enjoys the bloody things which he does. Pilate asks about the subject of Joanna and then says that she was nothing. Claudia denies that and says that he cannot win every battle. Obsessed with winning the war and half-insane with determination, Pilate hits Claudia and forces her to back down. The disciples stand with the high priest and the other rabbis which stops the newly converted Cornelius from attacking them. The resistance of the Zealots is crushed but the gold statue of the Emperor gets damaged in the process. Peter informs the other disciples that the prophecy of Daniel won't be fulfilled today and that Cornelius was converted by him. At his palace, Pilate refuses to concede defeat and says that next time he'll rebuild the statue and be tougher with the Jews. Disgusted with Pilate's brutal plans, Claudia tries to leave him but, as she is going with Cornelius, she refuses and chooses to be dominated by him. Peter tries to explain his conversion of Cornelius to James the Just and the other disciples, but he is taken away by Roman soldiers. The age of the disciples' martyrdom has now begun.


document_title: Great Pyramid of Giza

question_text: how many blocks did it take to build the great pyramid of khufu

text: Great Pyramid of Giza

text: History and description

text: Egyptologists believe the pyramid was built as a tomb for the Fourth Dynasty Egyptian pharaoh Khufu (often Hellenized as "Cheops") and was constructed over a 20-year period. Khufu's vizier, Hemiunu (also called Hemon) is believed by some to be the architect of the Great Pyramid.[2] It is thought that, at construction, the Great Pyramid was originally 280 Egyptian Royal cubits tall (146.5 metres (480.6 ft)), but with erosion and absence of its pyramidion, its present height is 138.8 metres (455.4 ft). Each base side was 440 cubits, 230.4 metres (755.9 ft) long. The mass of the pyramid is estimated at 5.9 million tonnes. The volume, including an internal hillock, is roughly 2,500,000 cubic metres (88,000,000 cu ft).[3]

text: Based on these estimates, building the pyramid in 20 years would involve installing approximately 800 tonnes of stone every day. Additionally, since it consists of an estimated 2.3 million blocks, completing the building in 20 years would involve moving an average of more than 12 of the blocks into place each hour, day and night. The first precision measurements of the pyramid were made by Egyptologist Sir Flinders Petrie in 1880–82 and published as The Pyramids and Temples of Gizeh.[4] Almost all reports are based on his measurements. Many of the casing-stones and inner chamber blocks of the Great Pyramid fit together with extremely high precision. Based on measurements taken on the north-eastern casing stones, the mean opening of the joints is only 0.5 millimetre wide (1/50 of an inch).[5]

text: The pyramid remained the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years,[6] unsurpassed until the 160-metre-tall (520 ft) spire of Lincoln Cathedral was completed c. 1300. The accuracy of the pyramid's workmanship is such that the four sides of the base have an average error of only 58 millimetres in length.[7] The base is horizontal and flat to within ±15 mm (0.6 in).[8] The sides of the square base are closely aligned to the four cardinal compass points (within four minutes of arc)[9] based on true north, not magnetic north,[10] and the finished base was squared to a mean corner error of only 12 seconds of arc.[11]

text: The completed design dimensions, as suggested by Petrie's survey and subsequent studies, are estimated to have originally been 280 Egyptian Royal cubits high by 440 cubits long at each of the four sides of its base. The ratio of the perimeter to height of 1760/280 Egyptian Royal cubits equates to 2π to an accuracy of better than 0.05 percent (corresponding to the well-known approximation of π as 22/7). Some Egyptologists consider this to have been the result of deliberate design proportion. Verner wrote, "We can conclude that although the ancient Egyptians could not precisely define the value of π, in practice they used it".[12] Petrie, author of Pyramids and Temples of Gizeh concluded: "but these relations of areas and of circular ratio are so systematic that we should grant that they were in the builder's design".[13] Others have argued that the Ancient Egyptians had no concept of pi and would not have thought to encode it in their monuments. They believe that the observed pyramid slope may be based on a simple seked slope choice alone, with no regard to the overall size and proportions of the finished building.[14] In 2013, rolls of papyrus called the Diary of Merer were discovered written by some of those who delivered limestone and other construction materials from Tora to Giza.[15]

text: Materials

text: The Great Pyramid consists of an estimated 2.3 million blocks which most believe to have been transported from nearby quarries. The Tura limestone used for the casing was quarried across the river. The largest granite stones in the pyramid, found in the "King's" chamber, weigh 25 to 80 tonnes and were transported from Aswan, more than 800 km (500 mi) away. Traditionally,[clarification needed] ancient Egyptians cut stone blocks by hammering into them wooden wedges, which were then soaked with water. As the water was absorbed, the wedges expanded, causing the rock to crack. Once they were cut, they were carried by boat either up or down the Nile River to the pyramid.[16] It is estimated that 5.5 million tonnes of limestone, 8,000 tonnes of granite (imported from Aswan), and 500,000 tonnes of mortar were used in the construction of the Great Pyramid.[17]

text: Casing stones

text: At completion, the Great Pyramid was surfaced by white "casing stones"—slant-faced, but flat-topped, blocks of highly polished white limestone. These were carefully cut to what is approximately a face slope with a seked of 5½ palms to give the required dimensions. Visibly, all that remains is the underlying stepped core structure seen today. In AD 1303, a massive earthquake loosened many of the outer casing stones, which were then carted away by Bahri Sultan An-Nasir Nasir-ad-Din al-Hasan in 1356 to build mosques and fortresses in nearby Cairo. Many more casing stones were removed from the great pyramids by Muhammad Ali Pasha in the early 19th century to build the upper portion of his Alabaster Mosque in Cairo, not far from Giza. These limestone casings can still be seen as parts of these structures. Later explorers reported massive piles of rubble at the base of the pyramids left over from the continuing collapse of the casing stones, which were subsequently cleared away during continuing excavations of the site.

text: Nevertheless, a few of the casing stones from the lowest course can be seen to this day in situ around the base of the Great Pyramid, and display the same workmanship and precision that has been reported for centuries. Petrie also found a different orientation in the core and in the casing measuring 193 centimetres ± 25 centimetres. He suggested a redetermination of north was made after the construction of the core, but a mistake was made, and the casing was built with a different orientation.[4] Petrie related the precision of the casing stones as to being "equal to opticians' work of the present day, but on a scale of acres" and "to place such stones in exact contact would be careful work; but to do so with cement in the joints seems almost impossible".[19] It has been suggested it was the mortar (Petrie's "cement") that made this seemingly impossible task possible, providing a level bed, which enabled the masons to set the stones exactly.[20][21]

text: Construction theories

text: Many alternative, often contradictory, theories have been proposed regarding the pyramid's construction techniques.[22] Many disagree on whether the blocks were dragged, lifted, or even rolled into place. The Greeks believed that slave labour was used, but modern discoveries made at nearby workers' camps associated with construction at Giza suggest that it was built instead by tens of thousands of skilled workers. Verner posited that the labour was organized into a hierarchy, consisting of two gangs of 100,000 men, divided into five zaa or phyle of 20,000 men each, which may have been further divided according to the skills of the workers.[23]

text: One mystery of the pyramid's construction is its planning. John Romer suggests that they used the same method that had been used for earlier and later constructions, laying out parts of the plan on the ground at a 1-to-1 scale. He writes that "such a working diagram would also serve to generate the architecture of the pyramid with precision unmatched by any other means".[24] He also argues for a 14-year time-span for its construction.[25] A modern construction management study, in association with Mark Lehner and other Egyptologists, estimated that the total project required an average workforce of about 14,500 people and a peak workforce of roughly 40,000. Without the use of pulleys, wheels, or iron tools, they used critical path analysis methods, which suggest that the Great Pyramid was completed from start to finish in approximately 10 years.[26]

text: Interior

text: The original entrance to the Great Pyramid is on the north, 17 metres (56 ft) vertically above ground level and 7.29 metres (23.9 ft) east of the centre line of the pyramid. From this original entrance, there is a Descending Passage 0.96 metres (3.1 ft) high and 1.04 metres (3.4 ft) wide, which goes down at an angle of 26° 31'23" through the masonry of the pyramid and then into the bedrock beneath it. After 105.23 metres (345.2 ft), the passage becomes level and continues for an additional 8.84 metres (29.0 ft) to the lower Chamber, which appears not to have been finished. There is a continuation of the horizontal passage in the south wall of the lower chamber; there is also a pit dug in the floor of the chamber. Some Egyptologists suggest that this Lower Chamber was intended to be the original burial chamber, but Pharaoh Khufu later changed his mind and wanted it to be higher up in the pyramid.[27]

text: 28.2 metres (93 ft) from the entrance is a square hole in the roof of the Descending Passage. Originally concealed with a slab of stone, this is the beginning of the Ascending Passage. The Ascending Passage is 39.3 metres (129 ft) long, as wide and high as the Descending Passage and slopes up at almost precisely the same angle to reach the Grand Gallery. The lower end of the Ascending Passage is closed by three huge blocks of granite, each about 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) long. One must use the Robbers' Tunnel (see below) to access the Ascending Passage. At the start of the Grand Gallery on the right-hand side there is a hole cut in the wall. This is the start of a vertical shaft which follows an irregular path through the masonry of the pyramid to join the Descending Passage. Also at the start of the Grand Gallery there is the Horizontal Passage leading to the "Queen's Chamber". The passage is 1.1m (3'8") high for most of its length, but near the chamber there is a step in the floor, after which the passage is 1.73 metres (5.7 ft) high.

text: Queen's Chamber

text: The "Queen's Chamber"[1] is exactly halfway between the north and south faces of the pyramid and measures 5.75 metres (18.9 ft) north to south, 5.23 metres (17.2 ft) east to west, and has a pointed roof with an apex 6.23 metres (20.4 ft) above the floor. At the eastern end of the chamber there is a niche 4.67 metres (15.3 ft) high. The original depth of the niche was 1.04 metres (3.4 ft), but has since been deepened by treasure hunters.[28]

text: In the north and south walls of the Queen's Chamber there are shafts, which, unlike those in the King's Chamber that immediately slope upwards (see below), are horizontal for around 2 m (6.6 ft) before sloping upwards. The horizontal distance was cut in 1872 by a British engineer, Waynman Dixon, who believed a shaft similar to those in the King's Chamber must also exist. He was proved right, but because the shafts are not connected to the outer faces of the pyramid or the Queen's Chamber, their purpose is unknown. At the end of one of his shafts, Dixon discovered a ball of black diorite (a type of rock) and a bronze implement of unknown purpose. Both objects are currently in the British Museum.[29]

text: The shafts in the Queen's Chamber were explored in 1993 by the German engineer Rudolf Gantenbrink using a crawler robot he designed, Upuaut 2. After a climb of 65 m (213 ft),[30] he discovered that one of the shafts was blocked by limestone "doors" with two eroded copper "handles". Some years later the National Geographic Society created a similar robot which, in September 2002, drilled a small hole in the southern door, only to find another door behind it.[31] The northern passage, which was difficult to navigate because of twists and turns, was also found to be blocked by a door.[32]

text: Research continued in 2011 with the Djedi Project. Realizing the problem was that the National Geographic Society's camera was only able to see straight ahead of it, they instead used a fibre-optic "micro snake camera" that could see around corners. With this they were able to penetrate the first door of the southern shaft through the hole drilled in 2002, and view all the sides of the small chamber behind it. They discovered hieroglyphs written in red paint. They were also able to scrutinize the inside of the two copper "handles" embedded in the door, and they now believe them to be for decorative purposes. They also found the reverse side of the "door" to be finished and polished, which suggests that it was not put there just to block the shaft from debris, but rather for a more specific reason.[33]

text: Grand Gallery

text: The Grand Gallery continues the slope of the Ascending Passage, but is 8.6 metres (28 ft) high and 46.68 metres (153.1 ft) long. At the base it is 2.06 metres (6.8 ft) wide, but after 2.29 metres (7.5 ft) the blocks of stone in the walls are corbelled inwards by 7.6 centimetres (3.0 in) on each side. There are seven of these steps, so, at the top, the Grand Gallery is only 1.04 metres (3.4 ft) wide. It is roofed by slabs of stone laid at a slightly steeper angle than the floor of the gallery, so that each stone fits into a slot cut in the top of the gallery like the teeth of a ratchet. The purpose was to have each block supported by the wall of the Gallery, rather than resting on the block beneath it, in order to prevent cumulative pressure.[34]

text: At the upper end of the Gallery on the right-hand side there is a hole near the roof that opens into a short tunnel by which access can be gained to the lowest of the Relieving Chambers. The other Relieving Chambers were discovered in 1837–1838 by Colonel Howard Vyse and J. S. Perring, who dug tunnels upwards using blasting powder.

text: The floor of the Grand Gallery consists of a shelf or step on either side, 51 centimetres (20 in) wide, leaving a lower ramp 1.04 metres (3.4 ft) wide between them. In the shelves there are 54 slots, 27 on each side matched by vertical and horizontal slots in the walls of the Gallery. These form a cross shape that rises out of the slot in the shelf. The purpose of these slots is not known, but the central gutter in the floor of the Gallery, which is the same width as the Ascending Passage, has led to speculation that the blocking stones were stored in the Grand Gallery and the slots held wooden beams to restrain them from sliding down the passage.[35] This, in turn, has led to the proposal that originally many more than 3 blocking stones were intended, to completely fill the Ascending Passage.[citation needed]

text: At the top of the Grand Gallery, there is a step giving onto a horizontal passage some metres long and approximately 1.02 metres (3.3 ft) in height and width, in which can be detected four slots, three of which were probably intended to hold granite portcullises. Fragments of granite found by Petrie in the Descending Passage may have come from these now-vanished doors.

text: In 2017, scientists from the Scan Pyramids Project discovered a large cavity above the Grand Gallery, using muon radiography that can detect cosmic rays. Its length is at least 30 metres (98 ft) and its cross-section is similar to that of the Grand Gallery. It was detected using three different technologies: nuclear emulsion films, scintillator hodoscopes, and gas detectors.[36][37] The purpose of the cavity is not known and it is not accessible but according to Zahi Hawass it may have been a gap used in the construction of the Grand Gallery.[38] The Japanese research team disputes this, however, saying that the huge void is completely different from the construction spaces previously identified.[39]

text: King's Chamber

text: The "King's Chamber"[1] is 20 Egyptian Royal cubits or 10.47 metres (34.4 ft) from east to west and 10 cubits or 5.234 metres (17.17 ft) north to south. It has a flat roof 11 cubits and 5 digits or 5.852 metres (19 feet 2 inch) above the floor. 0.91 m (3.0 ft) above the floor there are two narrow shafts in the north and south walls (one is now filled by an extractor fan in an attempt to circulate air inside the pyramid). The purpose of these shafts is not clear: they appear to be aligned towards stars or areas of the northern and southern skies, yet one of them follows a dog-leg course through the masonry, indicating no intention to directly sight stars through them. They were long believed by Egyptologists to be "air shafts" for ventilation, but this idea has now been widely abandoned in favour of the shafts serving a ritualistic purpose associated with the ascension of the king’s spirit to the heavens.[40]

text: The King's Chamber is entirely faced with granite. Above the roof, which is formed of nine slabs of stone weighing in total about 400 tons, are five compartments known as Relieving Chambers. The first four, like the King's Chamber, have flat roofs formed by the floor of the chamber above, but the final chamber has a pointed roof. Vyse suspected the presence of upper chambers when he found that he could push a long reed through a crack in the ceiling of the first chamber. From lower to upper, the chambers are known as "Davison's Chamber", "Wellington's Chamber", "Nelson's Chamber", "Lady Arbuthnot's Chamber", and "Campbell's Chamber". It is believed that the compartments were intended to safeguard the King's Chamber from the possibility of a roof collapsing under the weight of stone above the Chamber. As the chambers were not intended to be seen, they were not finished in any way and a few of the stones still retain masons' marks painted on them. One of the stones in Campbell's Chamber bears a mark, apparently the name of a work gang.[41][42]

text: The only object in the King's Chamber is a rectangular granite sarcophagus, one corner of which is broken. The sarcophagus is slightly larger than the Ascending Passage, which indicates that it must have been placed in the Chamber before the roof was put in place. Unlike the fine masonry of the walls of the Chamber, the sarcophagus is roughly finished, with saw-marks visible in several places. This is in contrast with the finely finished and decorated sarcophagi found in other pyramids of the same period. Petrie suggested that such a sarcophagus was intended but was lost in the river on the way north from Aswan and a hurriedly made replacement was used instead.

text: Modern entrance

text: Today tourists enter the Great Pyramid via the Robbers' Tunnel, a tunnel purportedly created around AD 820 by Caliph al-Ma'mun's workmen using a battering ram.[43][44] The tunnel is cut straight through the masonry of the pyramid for approximately 27 metres (89 ft), then turns sharply left to encounter the blocking stones in the Ascending Passage. It is believed that their efforts dislodged the stone fitted in the ceiling of the Descending Passage to hide the entrance to the Ascending Passage and it was the noise of that stone falling and then sliding down the Descending Passage, which alerted them to the need to turn left. Unable to remove these stones, however, the workmen tunnelled up beside them through the softer limestone of the Pyramid until they reached the Ascending Passage. It is possible to enter the Descending Passage from this point, but access is usually forbidden.[45]

text: Pyramid complex

text: The Great Pyramid is surrounded by a complex of several buildings including small pyramids. The Pyramid Temple, which stood on the east side of the pyramid and measured 52.2 metres (171 ft) north to south and 40 metres (130 ft) east to west, has almost entirely disappeared apart from the black basalt paving. There are only a few remnants of the causeway which linked the pyramid with the valley and the Valley Temple. The Valley Temple is buried beneath the village of Nazlet el-Samman; basalt paving and limestone walls have been found but the site has not been excavated.[46][47] The basalt blocks show "clear evidence" of having been cut with some kind of saw with an estimated cutting blade of 15 feet (4.6 m) in length, capable of cutting at a rate of 1.5 inches (38 mm) per minute. John Romer suggests that this "super saw" may have had copper teeth and weighed up to 300 pounds (140 kg). He theorizes that such a saw could have been attached to a wooden trestle and possibly used in conjunction with vegetable oil, cutting sand, emery or pounded quartz to cut the blocks, which would have required the labour of at least a dozen men to operate it.[48]

text: On the south side are the subsidiary pyramids, popularly known as the Queens' Pyramids. Three remain standing to nearly full height but the fourth was so ruined that its existence was not suspected until the recent discovery of the first course of stones and the remains of the capstone. Hidden beneath the paving around the pyramid was the tomb of Queen Hetepheres I, sister-wife of Sneferu and mother of Khufu. Discovered by accident by the Reisner expedition, the burial was intact, though the carefully sealed coffin proved to be empty.

text: The Giza pyramid complex, which includes among other structures the pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, is surrounded by a cyclopean stone wall, the Wall of the Crow. Mark Lehner has discovered a worker's town outside of the wall, otherwise known as "The Lost City", dated by pottery styles, seal impressions, and stratigraphy to have been constructed and occupied sometime during the reigns of Khafre (2520–2494 BC) and Menkaure (2490–2472 BC).[49][50] Recent discoveries by Mark Lehner and his team at the town and nearby, including what appears to have been a thriving port, suggest the town and associated living quarters consisting of barracks called "galleries" may not have been for the pyramid workers after all, but rather for the soldiers and sailors who utilized the port. In light of this new discovery, as to where then the pyramid workers may have lived, Lehner now suggests the alternative possibility they may have camped on the ramps he believes were used to construct the pyramids or possibly at nearby quarries.[51]

text: In the early 1970s, the Australian archaeologist Karl Kromer excavated a mound in the South Field of the plateau. This mound contained artefacts including mudbrick seals of Khufu, which he identified with an artisans' settlement.[52] Mudbrick buildings just south of Khufu's Valley Temple contained mud sealings of Khufu and have been suggested to be a settlement serving the cult of Khufu after his death.[53] A worker's cemetery used at least between Khufu's reign and the end of the Fifth Dynasty was discovered south of the Wall of the Crow by Zahi Hawass in 1990.[54]

text: Boats

text: There are three boat-shaped pits around the pyramid, of a size and shape to have held complete boats, though so shallow that any superstructure, if there ever was one, must have been removed or disassembled. In May 1954, the Egyptian archaeologist Kamal el-Mallakh discovered a fourth pit, a long, narrow rectangle, still covered with slabs of stone weighing up to 15 tons. Inside were 1,224 pieces of wood, the longest 23 metres (75 ft) long, the shortest 10 centimetres (0.33 ft). These were entrusted to a boat builder, Haj Ahmed Yusuf, who worked out how the pieces fit together. The entire process, including conservation and straightening of the warped wood, took fourteen years.

text: The result is a cedar-wood boat 43.6 metres (143 ft) long, its timbers held together by ropes, which is currently housed in a special boat-shaped, air-conditioned museum beside the pyramid. During construction of this museum, which stands above the boat pit, a second sealed boat pit was discovered. It was deliberately left unopened until 2011 when excavation began on the boat.[55]

text: Looting

text: Although succeeding pyramids were smaller, pyramid-building continued until the end of the Middle Kingdom. However, as authors Brier and Hobbs claim, "all the pyramids were robbed" by the New Kingdom, when the construction of royal tombs in a desert valley, now known as the Valley of the Kings, began.[56][57] Joyce Tyldesley states that the Great Pyramid itself "is known to have been opened and emptied by the Middle Kingdom", before the Arab caliph Abdullah al-Mamun entered the pyramid around AD 820.[43]

text: I. E. S. Edwards discusses Strabo's mention that the pyramid "a little way up one side has a stone that may be taken out, which being raised up there is a sloping passage to the foundations". Edwards suggested that the pyramid was entered by robbers after the end of the Old Kingdom and sealed and then reopened more than once until Strabo's door was added. He adds: "If this highly speculative surmise be correct, it is also necessary to assume either that the existence of the door was forgotten or that the entrance was again blocked with facing stones", in order to explain why al-Ma'mun could not find the entrance.[58]

text: He also discusses a story told by Herodotus. Herodotus visited Egypt in the 5th century BC and recounts a story that he was told concerning vaults under the pyramid built on an island where the body of Cheops lies. Edwards notes that the pyramid had "almost certainly been opened and its contents plundered long before the time of Herodotus" and that it might have been closed again during the Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt when other monuments were restored. He suggests that the story told to Herodotus could have been the result of almost two centuries of telling and retelling by Pyramid guides.[59]